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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28940340">Some Things Never Change</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/EileenDover/pseuds/EileenDover'>EileenDover</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Elder Scrolls, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Fluff and Smut, Older Characters, Oral Sex, Porn with Feelings, Requited Unrequited Love, Sex, Short &amp; Sweet, Table Sex, The Ragged Flagon (Elder Scrolls), Thieves Guild</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 03:55:33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,055</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28940340</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/EileenDover/pseuds/EileenDover</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The war was over and the Empire had won, but the Dragonborn hadn’t been heard from for well over a decade. Delvin had given up hope of ever seeing her again, until one night at the Ragged Flagon when she walked back into his life...</p><p>This is a story about two old friends who realize their feelings for each other, only years after life has torn them apart. I had fun imagining an older Dragonborn, and thinking of where life took her after she won the war. Of course she’d eventually end up back in Riften, that’s where all the fun is. Also there’s not enough love for Delvin out there, so this one is for him! Hopefully you like it! :3</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Female Dovahkiin | Dragonborn/Delvin Mallory</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>30</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Some Things Never Change</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“C’mon, Vekel. Jus… Just give us one more round.”</p><p>“You’re cut off,” the bartender said, crossing his arms. It was late, and he didn’t hide his irritation.<br/>
<br/>
Delvin sighed. “Go to bed, Brynjolf. You’re drunk,” and he plucked the mug from the red-haired Nord’s hand. “You know what time the Flagon closes, an’ it’s well past the hour.”</p><p>The old guild leader put his head in his hand. “Yer no fun anymore,” he mumbled, “Neither o’ you are any. Fuckin’. Fun.”</p><p>Vekel rolled his eyes and slung a dishcloth over his shoulder. “That’s it, I’m going to bed. Delvin- you’re in charge here. Make sure he doesn’t break anything again, will ya?” and with that the bartender left the two old timers alone in the tavern.</p><p>“I’ll take care of him,” Delvin called after him, then waited until the Nord’s footsteps had faded from earshot before turning to Brynjolf. “Well? What is it?” he asked.</p><p>“What’s what,” Brynjolf muttered, not bothering to look up.</p><p>“I’ve only ever seen ya get this drunk when somethin’s really eatin’ away at ya,” Delvin frowned. “Let’s go, out with it.”</p><p>“It’s jus’...,” he looked up, “well, it’s jus’ nuthin’, isn’t it? Th’ Age of Aggression is over! Ulfric is dead, the bleedin’ Empire has brought stability an’ prosperity back to Skyrim. Business is boomin’ an’ our coffers are bursting at the seams! No’ even a wee dragon has dared show its face fer nigh fifteen years!”</p><p>“And all this is bad… <em>how</em>?” Delvin asked, turning his chair to face him.</p><p>“Damnit, Delvin!” Brynjolf spat, slamming a fist down on the counter. “None o’ that is bad! There’s nothin’ wrong wi’ <em>any</em> of it, don’ you see? No menace, no threats, no risks, no bloody possibilities…”</p><p>He put his hand on Brynjolf’s shoulder. “Face it. We’re gettin’ old, mate.”</p><p>“Aye, we are. We’ve aged out. Makes me wonder wha’ kind o’ future I have here. Sapphire’s taken over recruiting, Tonilla runs th’ black market, you keep our books clean, and Karliah’s been a damn fine guild leader ever since…,” and he stopped.</p><p>“Since the Dovahkiin left,” Delvin finished.</p><p>“Sometimes I wish the lass would jus’ send us a damn letter, a sign, anythin’ to let us know she’s still alive,” said Brynjolf. “Tha’s all.”</p><p>“The girl always did her own thing. That’s why ya liked her so much, yeah?” </p><p>“Aye. An’ thanks fer reminding me, arsehole” Brynjolf stood up and pushed past Delvin. “Goodnight,” he muttered as he stumbled out of the Ragged Flagon, wiping something from his eye.</p><p>Delvin relaxed when he heard the door slam, thankful the old guild leader didn’t throw anything this time. Times had changed, there was no doubt about that. The days of adventure and danger were long behind them, and Brynjolf didn’t seem to be adjusting well. Delvin swirled the last of his Cyrodilic Brandy in his glass and let his mind wander.</p><p>He remembered the day Rhian left to fight the Stormcloaks. It had been cold and cloudy, so overcast that even at midday the light was no brighter than dusk. The mood in the cistern had been like that of the weather— dark. Nobody in the guild wanted to see her go. Delvin had stood at the city gates, wished her good health, and told her to keep in touch. Then, without fanfare, she was off. When she didn’t return, they all assumed the worst— except Brynjolf, who refused to give up hope. <em>A man can drown in too much hope,</em> Delvin thought bitterly.</p><p>The last news he’d heard about the Dovahkiin, she’d almost single-handedly won the war for the Empire. Even though the Thieves Guild never involved itself in politics, he had to admit— with the Imperials in charge, at least they knew whose palms to grease in order to keep business moving. If Ulfric had won, who knows where they’d be now. Out of business and living in the Ratways, most likely. They had a lot to thank Rhian for, besides simply saving the guild.</p><p>Rhian. She’d come into their lives as quietly as she’d left. A Redguard from Hammerfell, she’d handled every job he’d given her quickly and efficiently. While Delvin had never been intimate with her, he did know that she and Brynjolf had enjoyed an on-again off-again relationship. Neither of them were the settling-down types, and they had kept it fairly casual as far as he’d seen. Brynjolf was most likely having a few regrets about that now.</p><p><em>As he well should, the fool</em>, Delvin thought, sipping his brandy. To let a woman like that- capable, intelligent, sensual- just walk out of his life? It probably ate him up inside.</p><p>He closed his eyes and imagined her standing in the room with him. Even the memory of her brought with it a sense of contentment. That, and something else.</p><p>There had most certainly been something unspoken between the two of them— a desire on the tip of his tongue, but always left unsaid. A few times he’d been drunk enough to think she’d felt the same, but there had been too much in the way, too much at stake. The guild, his rank, her powers, Brynjolf... Now though, he would do anything to go back in time and give the Dovahkiin a reason to come back to Riften.</p><p>Just then, the door to the tavern swung open.</p><p>“We’re closed for the night, yeah? Come back tomorrow,” said Delvin.</p><p>A familiar voice answered him, “Couldn’t you pull some strings for an old friend?”</p><p>Delvin turned, his mouth falling open. It was as if she’d stepped out of his visions, and into the Ragged Flagon.</p><p>“Rhian!” he practically yelled her name, “Bloody Oblivion. What the devil are you—?”</p><p>“I was in the neighborhood,” she said simply, walking to the bar. “Mind if I sit?”</p><p>Delvin didn’t quite know what to say, so he pulled out the chair Brynjolf had just left and gestured. “Can I… get ya a drink?” he asked, still stunned.</p><p>“I’ll have whatever you’re having,” she said, and sat down next to him, arranging her skirts as she did so. </p><p>The Dragonborn looked older now. Her black, curly hair was streaked with grey, and fine lines around her eyes gave away her age, but she remained just as beautiful as the day she’d left. Her full lips, bright hazel eyes, noble profile— all exactly as he remembered her.</p><p>“Looks like the years have been kind to you,” Delvin said as he poured her a glass of brandy. It’d been years since he had tended the bar— not many people knew, but it’d been his first position at the Thieves Guild. He twirled the bottle with flair he wasn’t sure he even still had.</p><p>“Let us not speak of years,” she laughed as he handed her the glass. “I’m glad to see you’re looking as spry as ever!”</p><p>“You know me,” he said, a smile playing at his lips as they tapped their glasses together. “A spot o’ trouble now and then keeps the blood pumping. Speaking of, there’s a bedlam job in Solitude. Feel like going for it?”</p><p>Rhian laughed again, “For once in my life, I’m not looking for work.” It was good to see her again, and to fall so quickly back into their cadence of friendship, but he knew it wasn’t him she’d been hoping to find.</p><p>“If you were looking fer Brynjolf, he just left—,” he started, but Rhian quickly interrupted him.</p><p>“I came here to see you, Delvin,” she said simply. Hearing his name on her lips sent a shiver down his spine, but even as the words fell from her mouth he sat in disbelief.</p><p>“Well, what took ya so long?” was all he could manage. She laughed again, melodic and light. It was a sound that had been missing in the Cistern for far too many years.</p><p>“I traveled a bit,” she said, sipping her brandy.</p><p>Delvin inched his chair closer, “I’ll bet. Tell me everything, spare no detail.”</p><p>“Well…,” she started, “after the war, I had to get out, away from Skyrim. I saw too much death, too much suffering. I did think about coming back to Riften, but I’d been too… <em>changed</em> by it all. I worried that nobody would recognize the person I’d become, so I left to find myself again. Maybe that was a cowardly way to handle it, I don’t know.”</p><p>“You did what you had to do. No one here is going to hold that against you,” Delvain said. Even Brynjolf would understand that.</p><p>Rhian sipped her brandy. “Thank you for saying that. It’s kept me up more than a few nights,” she looked at him with a sad smile. “Anyway, after the war I went south— through Deshaan and Shadowfen. I lived with the Argonians in their marshes for a bit, hoping I’d find some solace with their Hist, but I didn’t stay more than a few years. </p><p>“Eventually I took a job guarding a caravan of Wood Elf merchants, and ended up in Elden Root,” she looked up at the bar, as if to soak in the details of her old home. How it had changed, how it had remained the same. “It was there that I got married.”</p><p>He almost spit out his drink. “You? Married?!” Delvin was surprised, but then- it was a perfectly normal thing for someone to do. He was reminded again of just how abnormal his life was at the guild; settling down had never even been an option for him.</p><p>“Indeed, hard as it may be to imagine...,” she said. Yet he could imagine it, and it filled him with a melancholic envy. Whoever they were, they were lucky indeed.</p><p>“...To a Bosmer. I even took up the Green Pact! He was a trapper, quiet and kind, and he never asked any questions about my life prior to meeting him. We lived a simple, content life.”</p><p>Delvin tried not to choke on his next question. “Children?” he sputtered through a cough.</p><p>“Oh, gods no. We never quite managed that. He passed away, oh… must be five years ago by now,” she spoke so candidly, but it was hard to tell if she was sad about this or not.</p><p>“I’m sorry to hear that,” he said truthfully, and he was. She looked at him with those bright eyes of hers, and took a sip of brandy.</p><p>“It is the way of things,” she sighed. “I left Grahtwood, dusted off the ol’ sword and shield, and got back on the road! Found work as a bounty hunter, a bodyguard for a princess, even took up with some pirates if you can believe it!”</p><p>“You never did have any scruples,” Delvin shook his head in mock-disappointment. “So, tell me, sweetheart. If you’re not lookin’ for work, what brought ya back here?” he tapped his finger on the top of the bar.</p><p>She paused to reflect on his question, as if she hadn’t given it much thought before now. Finally, she said, “I realized I was chasing something that I knew I’d never find out there.”</p><p>“And that was…?”</p><p>“Happiness,” she said plainly. “I came to see if I couldn’t find it again.”</p><p>Delvin put his hand on top of hers and held her gaze, “Love, there hasn’t been happiness in these walls since the day you left.”</p><p>Her expression fell, but she rubbed her thumb on his finger. “I’m sorry I didn’t keep in touch like you asked. I thought about sending a message, but I never knew what to say…”</p><p>“Neither did I,” Delvin murmured. Maybe it was the brandy, or maybe it was all the years that had passed between them, but he now found himself without inhibitions around her for the first time.</p><p>“I should have said something to you years ago, when I was still young and handsome,” he laughed bitterly. He’d grown up too quickly, and had his nose broken too many times to have ever been either of those things. It wasn’t Brynjolf who had been the fool— it was him.</p><p>Rhian was still watching him, though it was impossible to tell what she was thinking. He knocked back the last of his brandy to muster some extra courage for what he was about to say.</p><p>“I’m sorry... I was a coward, Rhian. I put work and the guild above all, even my own desires. If I’d let you know how I felt years ago, I would have told ya not to leave,” he said, setting his glass down. “I’d have begged you to return to Riften after the war, to come back to the guild…,” his voice was growing weaker, but he managed to choke out, “...and to me.”</p><p>She reached up and brushed his cheek with her thumb. “I’m here now. Is that still what you want?”</p><p>He caught the Redguard’s hand in his, and pulled her off her chair to close the space between them. “More than anything,” he whispered before pressing his lips to hers.</p><p>Delvin melted into her, and she matched his passion, breath for breath. He held her head in his hands, hardly daring to believe that this was real, that she had finally returned and was in his arms. Sliding his tongue in her mouth, he felt his years melt away. No longer the grizzled old bookkeeper, Delvin felt a spark ignite in his chest. It was a feeling so forgotten, so dormant, it was like he was experiencing it again for the first time.</p><p>That small spark didn’t take long to start a fire. Rhian tilted her head up as he bit at her lip. Grabbing his belt, she pulled him to his feet and pressed her body against his. He thought back to all the times she’d come by his desk to talk, how her gaze would linger a little too long, and how he’d always brush it off as wishful thinking. But now… Now there was nothing holding him back. </p><p>When they finally broke for air, she searched his face. “That was worth the wait, Delvin Mallory,” she said with a coy smile.</p><p>He chuckled at that, and leaned down for another kiss. As their spit mingled, he slid his hand under her shirt, feeling up her stomach and chest until he was cupping her full breast. She arched her back and let out a breathy moan as he felt her nipple harden between his fingers.</p><p>“I need you,” she whispered, and it was enough to get him rock hard. He ground his length against her and she pushed back, grabbing his ass and pulling him in harder. Then, sweeping her curly hair aside, he bit down on her neck, sucking at the marks his teeth had left. Rhian was breathless, impatient, urging him on.</p><p>Delvin backed her into a round wooden table, casting the flagons and papers to the floor with a swing of his arm. He wasn’t as young as he used to be, but he hoisted her up on top of it as if he was in his prime. Lifting up her skirts, he practically tore off her smallclothes before bending down in front of her. She draped her legs over his shoulders, and when he brought his face to her sex she leaned back, groaning with pleasure.</p><p>He’d waited so long for this moment, but he didn’t stop to savor it. Instead he tore into her like a wolf would its prey. Rhian gasped as he bit her mound, then whined as he sucked greedily at her clitoris, tonguing it without mercy. Her moans were a siren’s song, captivating and bewitching; he had no choice but to heed them, so he he slid his tongue into her.</p><p>“<em>By the Nine—</em>,” she gasped from the table. It may have been a while since Delvin had performed this sort of service, but he was anything but untrained. He pressed into her, probing for her spot, and after a few strokes of his tongue he was rewarded with a sharp cry. She was soaking wet- her juices ran down his chin, a testament not just to his skill, but at how much she truly wanted him.</p><p>Turning his attention back to her hooded bud, he slipped two fingers inside of her quim and began to coax her towards release. He wasn’t here to tease her, or to play any fucking games— Delvin was going to make her cum. Her legs began to shake as she tightened around him, so he pressed harder, sucked harder. Finally she climaxed, her breath hitching before letting out a long, high moan.</p><p>Delvin couldn’t wait any longer. He stood up and pulled his cock out, not even bothering to take off his trousers. She was laying on the table, a smile playing on her lips as her black curls splayed out under her head. One of her breasts had come free of her shirt, and she played lazily with her nipple. Delvin stroked himself as she watched him, biting her reddened lip. He smiled wolfishly— the woman was ravishing.</p><p>As he positioned himself at her dripping entrance, she wrapped her legs around him, securing them together. Delvin ran his fingers over her mound, to her stomach and hips, admiring the shape and feel of her body. Age had simply refined her, adding texture and volume in ways he found intoxicating.</p><p>He’d always been drawn to the Dovahkiin, though he’d never felt it appropriate to act on those feelings. Time had eroded the trappings of propriety that had kept him in check, and the power dynamic that had once existed between the new recruit and the high-ranking guild member was gone. Now they met on equal footing— two world-weary veterans, old friends desperate to know if the fire they once felt could still be kindled. He’d be lying if he said he’d never imagined this day, but his dreams paled in comparison to the reality of the lush, enticing creature that was now spread open before him.</p><p>Neither of them said anything as he pushed his length inside of her, each lost in the sensation of a dam finally giving way to the pressure behind it. She groaned and tipped her head back when he hilted, holding himself there, hardly daring to believe it was real. She fit him like a glove, and now that he was in her he never wanted to leave.</p><p>Delvin grunted as he pulled out, then thrust back in. “Welcome home, love,” he growled as they claimed each other. Her hips were pushing up into him as she squeezed with her legs, grabbing at the table for leverage. Bending over, he took her breast in his hand while he drove into her core. She was so hot, so tight, Delvin worried he wouldn’t last. He thought of his books— numbers, spreadsheets, math— anything to keep himself from cumming too soon.</p><p>He could feel his cock throbbing as she tensed around it, her body going rigid beneath him. Sweat glistened on her dark skin, and her breasts bounced with every firm push. The ecstasy on her face was plain as she panted his name, grabbing on to his arm as he fucked her into a second orgasm. Being inside her while she came was unreal, and the way she shuddered and bucked as he drove into her had him on the verge of his own release. He held off as long as he could, wanting to prolong each wave of pleasure she felt, basking in her euphoria.</p><p>A smile spread across her satisfied face as she gazed up at him. Delvin had never seen such an enticing, exquisite creature, and in this moment he knew he’d do anything to keep that lovely smile on her face.</p><p>Rhian had other ideas, though. Without warning she pushed him back, then slid off the table onto her knees in front of him. She took him into her mouth, moving her hand up and down his shaft as she pressed her tongue to the back of his cock. Delvin grunted through gritted teeth, and grabbed the back of her head as she sucked him off. It felt so good, so warm and wet, and every move she made had him groaning in bliss. Her soft moans were what finally sent him over the edge, his hips jerking forward into her mouth as he began to cum. She squeezed and sucked as he shuddered, and swallowed his seed until he was good and spent.</p><p>When she dropped him from her lips, Delvin reached down to help her back up. She held him to her, placing her head on his chest and listening to his breath, his heartbeat. Tilting her head up to him, he brushed a lock of her hair aside and kissed her, long and deep. He held her head in his hand, marveling at this flawless diamond that had somehow made her way back to him.</p><p>“I’m glad we finally did that,” she said, smiling. Her cheeks were flushed as she looked into his eyes. “I’d never stopped thinking about you, you know.”</p><p>“I find that hard to believe,” he murmured, then nipped at her ear. “Care for a night cap?”</p><p>“Thank you, I’d love one,” Rhian smiled, and he pulled up his pants and ushered her back to the bar.</p><p>She gingerly smoothed out her clothes and fussed with her hair while he poured them both a finger of brandy. He was sure Vekel would give him a hard time about this tomorrow, but right now he couldn’t care less about what state the Flagon was in.</p><p>“Cheers, my dear,” he said, clinking his glass against hers. “To old friends.”</p><p>“To old friends,” she repeated, “and new beginnings.” They both drank to that, and the unspoken love that ran between them.</p><p>After a pause she looked at him and smiled over her cup. “You know, for the longest time I never thought I was your type.”</p><p>“My… type?” he asked stupidly.</p><p>She laughed. “You know… the <em>Vex</em> type.”</p><p>He groaned inwardly, “How many times do I have to say it? That time in the bathing room was a misunderstanding!” Delvin grindingly acknowledged that Vex may have caught his eye at their first meeting, but he’d quickly learned that her tongue was as sharp as a dagger’s blade, and it could cut twice as deep. Thank Nocturnal that his attraction had quickly faded to a cool disinterest, or who knows where he’d be.</p><p>“And Astrid…,” Rhian continued mercilessly.</p><p>“That was... a <em>mistake</em>,” he laughed. Alright, maybe in the distant past he’d had a type— thin, blonde, and toxic. But tastes change, and so do priorities. “And here I thought you preferred the company of handsome red-haired rogues.”</p><p>“Touché,” she said, and drank the last of her brandy. “For the record, Bryn and I were never serious.”</p><p>“I know, love. He still keeps a full stable of women, the Gods only know how he keeps it up,” he chuckled. Delvin knew that he’d have some serious explaining to do once the old guild leader found out, but he would worry about that later.</p><p>She stood up and smiled. “I’m glad to see that some things never change.”</p><p>Delvin couldn’t help but kiss her again, and for what he feared might be the last time. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, he knew the night was over. It was time for her to go back to wherever it was she was staying- the Bee and Barb, most likely- before she left again.</p><p>“I’m glad ya swung by for a chat, love,” he breathed into her, not wanting their lips to part. “We should... do it again one day.”</p><p>“How about in the morning?” she asked between kisses. “If you want you could… come back to my place tonight.”</p><p>He stopped, surprised. “You have a <i>place</i>?”</p><p>“Honeyside,” she kissed him on the nose. “Didn’t I ever mention it? I own property in Riften.”</p><p>“Will wonders never cease?” he grinned as she playfully licked him. Delvin blew out the candles, and let her lead him out of the door of the Ragged Flagon. Tomorrow he would wake up with Rhian in his arms, and this time he was never going to let her go.<br/>
<br/>
~le Fin~</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for reading! Not really anything to say about this except I LOVE DELVIN MALLORY. I wanted to write something short and sweet for him, with a sweet and savvy Dragonborn he could spend the rest of his days with &lt;3 (also, poor Bryn- but honestly I don’t feel that bad for him!)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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